A Muggle Game
by balletlover
Summary: Draco and Hermione are paired together in a muggle studies project. They end up playing a muggle game out of boredom. IC yet OOC in some ways. DM/HG, post war, 7th year for them. Better than it sounds!


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"Today you will be working in pairs for your project" the old muggle studies professor said to the class.

Ever since the end of the war, muggle studies became compulsory for 5th years to 7th years. It was also decided that because of the war, most weren't able to learn properly what they were supposed to meaning everyone had to repeat the previous year. In several cases, such as the Golden Trio's, not repeat, but attend.

"To make it easier for several of you, those who come from all magical folk will be paired with someone who is either muggle-born or half-blood" the professor continued. Several groans went around from the Slytherin end considering that most of them were pure-bloods.

"Well that's simple. I can work with Ron while you can work with Neville" Harry muttered to Hermione.

"Before any of you complain I will be announcing the pairs" the professor said.

"Great... I bet I'll be stuck with some bloody Gryffindor" Blaise said not bothering to keep quiet. He got a sharp look from the muggle studies professor.

"Zabini, Potter!" the professor announced.

"But professor I can't-" Harry protested before being cut off by their professor.

"No buts. Weasley, Thomas" she continued as if she had not been interrupted. Ron let out a sigh of relief from not having a Slytherin for a partner.

"Granger, Malfoy!" the professor announced. Draco immediately started protesting. The professor continued announcing pairs, ignoring Draco.

Hermione was silent. She wasn't happy with the pairing either but knew better than to argue with the professor. Neither of them was paying attention to the rest of the pairings.

"Now I want everyone to go to their respective partners and decide what you will do for this project" the professor announced.

Everyone got up except Draco who looked at Hermione with a bored expression. She rolled her eyes and went over to his table.

"Don't get your filth all over my things, Granger" Draco sneered. Hermione ignored him and raised her hand.

"Yes miss granger?" the professor asked seeing her raised hand.

"Professor, I was just wondering, what exactly is this project supposed to be?" Hermione asked.

"Ah yes. I want everyone to research on a muggle game or object that you can bring to class. I want them here in two weeks" the professor told the class.

"So what do you want to do for our project?" Hermione asked Draco.

"Do I look like I know anything about muggles?" Draco said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You know, you are 2nd in class after me" she told him.

"I'd be first if we didn't have to have this stupid subject that only mudbloods like you would bother to take just to be top of something" Draco smirked.

"Look can you please not call me that? Just for this project" Hermione said trying hard not to get angry.

"I don't take orders from mudbloods" Draco said knowing it would annoy her.

"And I wouldn't hesitate to punch you like I did in 3rd year" Hermione said glaring at him.

"Fine, just so we don't kill each other in the next two weeks I won't call you mudblood then, once this project is over, we go back to the usual insults" he sneered.

"Fine by me. What if we use a muggle car?" Hermione suggested.

"Too predictable, Weasel and Potty did that ages ago when the crashed it into the damn tree" Draco said.

"Well what do you want to do then?" Hermione said sounding annoyed.

"What do you call those boxes with pictures that talk?" Draco asked, oblivious to her annoyance.

"Television?" Hermione asked warily.

"Yes that! Let's do that!" Draco shouted earning stares from the others.

"Ok I could ask my parents to send ours next week so we can test it out before we present" she told him.

"But do you have the latest model?" he asked smirking.

"No but it works just the same" she said.

"Then I'll have my mother go buy the latest model" Draco said haughtily.

"I don't care if it's the latest model or not as long as we get a good grade for it! Which means you're going to have to help me with the research" Hermione said, exasperated.

"Come on mud - Granger, we both know you know everything there is to know about this box thing" Draco said rolling his eyes.

"But you don't! How are we supposed to present if you don't know a thing about it? You don't even know what it's called!" she half yelled.

"You can just tell me the important stuff then on the day we have to report you can explain all the rest" he told her.

"No. You will meet me for research in the library tomorrow after dinner even if I have to drag you there myself" Hermione shrilled.

"You can't tell me what to do Granger" he said glaring at her.

Before Hermione could say anything the professor called their attention and dismissed them.

Despite his attitude that day Draco still met Hermione in the library like she told him without her having to drag him there.

They managed to do most of the research without killing each other until Draco got bored. More bored than he was to begin with. Hermione noticed him just scribbling in the margins of the parchment he used to write facts about the television.

"I think we've done enough for today" Hermione said sounding tired.

"You think?" Draco said incredulously.

"Shut it ferret" Hermione said.

"Hey you're not allowed to call me that until this stupid project is over" he reminded her with a smirk.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed" she said stuffing her books into her bag and walking off.

The next night Hermione was in the library again to nobody's surprise. What she didn't expect was for Draco to show up and continue their research from the night before.

They did their work in silence until Hermione's hand accidentally brushed Draco's while reaching for a book across the table. They jerked away immediately.

"Don't touch me mudblood!" Draco said in a fierce whisper.

"Sheesh it was an accident! And besides you aren't allowed to call me that" hermione said in an equally fierce whisper.

"Sorry..." he muttered barely loud enough for her to hear.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Draco Malfoy is apologizing?" she said with a smirk.

"You wish" he retorted.

"You did apologize! You know Malfoy you've changed..." she told him.

"I have not!" he said snottily

"yes you have. I've noticed. You pretend nothing's happened but I know the war has taken its toll on you too. Admit it Malfoy, you've changed!" Hermione insisted, in the process convincing her.

"So what it I have? What is it to you?" Draco demanded.

"What is it to me? Grow up Malfoy! I don't have time to play these stupid games!" Hermione screamed not caring about the stares she received and packing up her books before storming out the library.

Draco rolled his eyes and smirked. They might have a truce but he could still annoy her without insults. But then again he hadn't been looking to annoy her, it was just natural for him to defend himself like that. He had been wearing his 'mask' for so long it started to feel as if it were a part of him. He left the library contemplating what hermione just told him.

The next evening Hermione was in the library again working on their project without Draco. She'd been there for almost an hour before he showed up. She honestly wasn't expecting him to show up at all.

He sat down in front of her and pulled out his things. They worked in silence for a while until Draco spoke up.

"Look granger, about last night, I... I'm sorry, you were right" he said bluntly.

"I usually am... But what's this I hear about you being sorry?" she teased.

"Don't push your luck granger, I may have changed but I still won't hesitate to hex you" Draco told her smirking.

"Uh-huh. You know, Malfoy, I don't really know you..." Hermione said.

"What do you mean you don't know me? We've known each other for almost 7 years" he said.

She raised her eyebrows. "yeah but 6 and a half were spent making my life miserable"

"I see your point, so what did you mean?" he asked.

"I meant that we haven't actually gotten to know each other because of the blood status thing and houses... Let's play 20 questions" she said.

"What in Merlin's name is that?" Draco asked.

"It's a game muggles play to get to know each other. We take turns asking each other questions until we've asked 20 each" she explained.

"And the questions can be about anything?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Yes, and you have to answer truthfully, I'll start. Did you want to be a death eater?" she asked.

"No, I was forced by my father and my aunt. My mother never wanted me to become one either but I knew it was that or death" he told her gravely.

"Oh... It's your turn by the way" was all she replied.

"Why are you so smart?" he asked.

She blushed. "I read a lot. I didn't want to be so behind compared to everyone else who came from all wizarding families" she explained.

"And now you know more than everyone in our year" Draco muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Hermione asked.

"I don't hate you, I never really hated anyone. My dad forced me to treat everyone as if they were bellow me, especially muggles and muggle-borns" he said, for once not saying mudblood. "Why do you hate me so much?" he asked throwing the question back at her.

"I don't hate you now, you were just so mean to me and my friends that it just happened" she told him.

"So you did hate me before?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did. Are you naturally blonde?" she asked.

He glared. "Yes. Do you fancy Weasel?" he asked.

"I used to..." Hermione said.

"But you don't fancy him anymore?" Draco asked not caring that it wasn't his turn.

"Not like that, he's just one of my best friends. It was my turn you know. Are you and Parkinson an item?" she asked.

He glared. "Personal questions now huh? No we were never even together" he said stiffly.

"She sure seems to think you were" Hermione smirked.

"She's an idiot" he commented while thinking of another question. "Have you ever kissed a guy?"

"Of course I have!" she said indignantly.

"Aside from a relative?" he smirked.

"Yes! I've kissed 3 in fact and they weren't related to me!" she said sticking out her tongue at him.

"Really now" he said sounding amused.

She chose not to reply, instead, asked another question. "Have you ever kissed a guy before?"

"I'm not gay, Granger" he told her, his voice resuming its usual cold tone.

"You never know" she muttered.

"Can we finish this tomorrow? I'm getting bored" Draco said.

"Alright, but we have to finish researching first" Hermione said.

"Whatever" he said getting his things and leaving.

In all honesty, Draco wasn't bored; he just didn't know what to ask at the moment. He was fascinated by this muggle game. It was unreliable though, after all you wouldn't be able to tell if it was the truth or not if you didn't use veritaserum while playing.

By dinner the next evening Ron and Harry were wondering where Hermione kept disappearing to. Sure, she spent a lot of time in the library but even they didn't have that much homework that needed to be finished.

"Where are you off to again this time, Mione?" Ron asked.

"Library. I still have to finish my muggle studies project with Malfoy" Hermione told him casually.

"You've been there for the past 3 nights. You know everything about muggles there is to know, why not let ferret boy do some work for a change?" Ron said.

"He is doing some of it too" she replied.

When she finally got to the library she found Draco there. He was already scribbling down information when she took her seat in front of him. He closed the book and smirked.

"We're done with this stupid research" he told her.

"You finished it?" she asked looking half amused, half surprised.

"Yeah do you want to see?" he asked.

"No it's fine, I'm sure you've got everything else we needed. How long have you been in here?" Hermione asked.

"About an hour" he said nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you wait for me?"

"I wanted to finish this stupid project already and so we could finish playing" he told her.

"Alright, by when's your mum sending the television over?"

"She said it will be here by tomorrow. It was my turn by the way. Do you still think I'm a foul evil loathsome little cockroach?" he asked smirking a little.

She laughed for the first time in his presence since hey had started the project. "Not right now, but at times I do" she said. "How do you still remember that?" she asked.

"That's your question?"

"Yeah"

"Well I don't know" he told her honestly. She looked skeptically at him.

"Do you like anyone?" Draco asked.

"Yes. Did you honestly want to come back here this year?" she asked changing the topic.

"I'm not sure... I just didn't know what to do otherwise so I ended up coming back. I bet you wanted to" he smirked. She shrugged in response.

"Is he in our year?" Draco asked going back to his earlier question.

She nodded not looking at him. "Do you fancy anyone?"

"Yes. If you didn't fancy him do you think you could like me? He smirked looking like this was an ordinary question he'd ask anyone.

"Nope" she said flushing a little. "Do YOU think you could like ME if you didn't like this other girl?" she asked.

"Tsk tsk Granger, for someone so smart you lack originality in your questions" Draco told her.

She glared at him. "But then again seeing as it's me, who wouldn't want me to say yes to that question" he continued.

She rolled her eyes. "Just when I thought you could actually act less arrogant" she muttered.

"Sadly, I'll have to say no" he said smirking again. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure... Why though?" she asked.

"Because I don't like 'this other girl' as you put it" he said looking at her straight in the eye. She couldn't bring herself to look away though as much as she wanted to.

"It wouldn't make sense for me to like you if I didn't like you" he told her still staring her in the eye. Finally she tore her gaze away from him.

"What?" she asked.

"I already like you Granger, would I like you if I didn't love you? That was your question. I only told you who it is that I like and why I said no to your question" he said.

"It's Hermione, not Granger and by the way that's exactly why I said no to your earlier question too" she told him before he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her.

"You ARE my girlfriend now, right?" he asked when they broke apart.

"Are you asking?" she said teasing him. "Of course" she said laughing.

"Wait till we tell people how we got together" Draco said smiling a proper smile.

Hermione grinned. Everyone would laugh if not go into shock at the fact. "By the way Draco, that was more than 20 questions"

"I know"

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